Book Critique
of [Cartas a quien pretende enseñar]
Cartas a quien pretende enseñar or Professora
sim; tia nao: cartas a quem ousa ensinar, in its original title, was
written by Paulo Freire (2006) and translated by Stella Mastrangelo. This third edition was published in 2006 by
Siglo XXI Editores Argentina S.A. The
author was a well- known Brazilian pedagogue who devoted his life to making
contributions to the teaching-learning process. Throughout his piece, the author
highlights the fact that theory and practice are interrelated and he mentions
the factors which affect these two educational dimensions.
Especially noteworthy was the selected writing style that the author chose:
an epistolary format to make educators become involved in the narrative and
identify themselves with his experiences. In addition, this book is divided
into twelve chapters; the first one entitled Primeras Palabras represents a brief introduction for the following
sections which go from the first letter to the tenth letter. To conclude his
work, Freire (2006) adds Últimas Palabras,
summarizing his ideas and making suggestions for educators from the twenty-first
century.
In all these sections, Freire
(2006) defines the personal qualities of a good teacher and he claims that an
evident connection must exist between what the teacher says and what she
does. Furthermore, he remarks that
teaching is a dual process in which both, teacher and students learn from each
other. It could be inferred through the
reading that this result can be achieved through the dialogue, considered a key
element in education for it allows an enriching exchange of different points of
view.
In his work, Freire (2006) states that “precisamos ejercitar la
capacidad de observar registrando lo que observamos” (p.5); so observation is
essential for teachers’ role. What is
more, the author acknowledges reflection as the basis for professional
development since it promotes self-criticism to improve educational practices. Apart from that, this book reveals the
difference between talking to the students and talking with them. For this reason,
Freire (2006) includes the concept of humility in his book and he considers it
as a tool to accept others’ knowledge.
All in all, this book is aimed at trainee-teachers and teachers in
service who could find in it a source of amazing and fruitful ideas to improve
their own practices. However, it would
have been even better if Freire (2006) had included the analysis of other
teachers’ real experiences in his letters.
Ultimately, this book resumes the knowledge, experience and personal
qualities needed to reach the ultimate goal of transforming learners into
critical thinkers. On the whole, this
written piece succeeds in making educators confirm and restate their vocation
for teaching.
Reference
Freire, P. (2006). Cartas a quien pretende enseñar (3rd ed.). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Siglo XXI
Editores Argentina.
